Babel

An additional three weeks had passed on the Seventh Floor and, though there had been some close calls when his confidence outgrew his caution, Linnaeus was now making his final preparations for a battle against the 'Dragon King'. He had already come up with a strategy he believed was viable and, though his plan had a good chance of getting thrown out the window as soon as combat began, it was better than going in unprepared.At this point, Linnaeus had hunted a total of 95 monsters, earning himself a sizeable 4,351 Soul Kindling in the process. He wasn't sure if this was a lot but, compared to having only a few hundred, it certainly felt like a lot.With the combination of physical training and hunting, Linnaeus' Skills, Abilities, and Magic had all experienced a qualitative improvement compared to his past self. Though his attributes had only increased by a few points, primarily as a result of bonuses, it still felt good to have strengthened his foundation.Now, before his climactic battle, Linnaeus had decided to take a gamble by trying to recruit a few other people to his cause. During his exploration of the Seventh Floor, he had located the abodes of seven others, the majority of which gave off the impression that they were much weaker than him.Though his plan could be enacted without assistance, Linnaeus wanted to start building his Party now as, if he started scouting in the higher Floors, there was a good chance he would be refused. This was not only due to the fact that stronger people than him should exist in the higher Floors but, after staying in the Crucible of Souls for an extended period of time, he expected that the majority of people would have formed a team by then.Of the seven people he had tracked, the two that interested him the most was a tall man with pale grey skin and a sturdy build. As for the other, she was a petite woman with purple hair that could only be described as fluffy.The sclera of the former was pitch black, giving him a rather scary vibe, while his eyes were a vibrant shade of silver. What made him exceptional, at least in Linnaeus' opinion, was his ability to absorb the traits of anything he was in contact with.Linnaeus had watched as the man wrangled with a Bear Rabbit using nothing by his physique to overpower the cute, yet ferocious, monster. A few seconds after the fight had started, the man's body had become covered in a layer of light-brown fur and, though it was hard to tell at a glance, the muscles of his back and legs had become more pronounced. Shortly after that, he had pulled off the right arm of the Bear Rabbit before using it as a makeshift club to finish the unfortunate monster off.Though his Blessing could have been misconstrued as just another transformation ability, Linnaeus had been surprised to see the man enter into a small pond after his hunt came to an end. After a few seconds had passed, his body began to turn transparent and, by the time a minute had elapsed, his form had completely disappeared into the water. Even with his [Perception] enhanced to LV28, it was impossible for Linnaeus to sense the man after he had become one with the water.While the man's Blessing was a truly envious ability, as Linnaeus could think of a conceivably infinite number of ways to exploit it, the purple-haired girl was actually his primary target. Though he had a small trauma after his experience with Ryuuna, she seemed to be a far more agreeable person than the pale-haired Dwelf.What made the purple-hair girl so important in Linnaeus' mind, besides her seemingly quiet and demure nature, was, as could be expected, her Blessing. She had the ability to exponentially increase the amount of gravity within a given area by simply bringing her palms together. Though he knew very little about it, Linnaeus had heard the rumors about Gravity Magic having almost no counter, making it would of the most powerful types after Lightning and Destruction Magic.It wasn't the girl's offensive capabilities that made Linnaeus want to scout her, however. Instead, it was her potential utility and support skills as, when she retreated to her own abode, the girl would use what he could only assume was a spell to reduce her own weight. This allowed her to leap well over 50m in a single bound, giving her the ability to scale massive cliffs without any difficulty. Even more useful was the fact that, even if she leaped down from her rocky residence, she would suffer no damage from a fall that would have killed, or at least seriously injured, most people.If things worked out, Linnaeus could secure the absorption man as their Vanguard while the gravity girl would serve as their offensive ace and support specialist. His role would be as the secondary attacker, fighting from the mid-line with his limited ranged capabilities while using his [Barrier] and [Barrier Aura] spells to help dictate the flow of battle.With his Agility, Intelligence, and Wisdom being his highest attributes, Linnaeus knew he wasn't much of a front-line fighter. He was better suited to the position of supporting others and, after working with Saht for several years, he was able to grasp the situation of a battlefield without too much difficulty. Though he might not exactly have leadership qualities, this wouldn't be an issue unless the other party was as obstinant as someone like Ryuuna and himself...After making his final preparations, which had been ongoing for the last few days, Linnaeus made his way to the known hunting grounds of the gravity-wielding girl. They hadn't talked at all but, over the past few weeks, he had made his presence known to her by helping out when she was in a relatively dangerous situation.Linnaeus had witnessed the girl being struck by a charging Axtola, the deer-like monster he had hunted in the past. She had apparently cast her weight-reduction magic on herself as, when the monster hit her, she was launched like a cannonball into the tree line. As a result, she suffered a few moderately serious injuries so, before things could get further out of hand, he had appeared in a flash to decapitate the Axtola.As could be expected, the girl had been shocked by the sudden appearance of another person. She immediately assumed a defensive posture, even though she was using the tree as support. With a fretful light in her eyes, Linnaeus knew there was some past trauma weighing heavily on her mind so, rather than stick around, he just set down a few cooked foodstuffs before backing away slowly and disappearing into the underbrush.If he was lucky, the girl would have been thinking about him over the past few days so, unless her trauma ran deeper than he expected, they should be able to at least talk with each other. She was very important for his plan to recruit the absorption man so, if he failed to obtain her, there was a good chance he would be fighting against a King on his own.After reaching an area where the grass had been flatted due to persistent crossing, Linnaeus decided to sit and wait patiently. It was very obvious that the girl hadn't been born in the slums as she made the foolish decision to repeat the same route almost every time she went hunting. This was the kind of habit even Street Urchins knew better than to repeat so, combined with how she had been caught off guard by the Axtola, it was apparent that she had lived a relatively sheltered life.Linnaeus didn't even have to wait all that long when his [Perception] picked up the signs of a person slowly approaching. They stopped around thirty meters from his position, likely after spotting him, but Linnaeus showed no signs of having done the same. He waited until she approached him of her own volition as, given the nature of most people, they were far less likely to run away if they were the ones to decide on a set of actions.Several awkward minutes later, Linnaeus found himself staring up at the purple-haired girl as she stood in the shadows of a tree. She had a rather unassuming appearance and, if not for her violet purple hair, she wouldn't have stood out in a crowd. The only thing that really stood out about her, besides her vibrant hair color, was the fact that her hair formed a roughly spherical shape due to how fluffy it was.If another person were to set eyes on her, however, Linnaeus had no doubt there were two very notable features that their eyes would be drawn to after first eyeing her hair. This was due to the fact that, despite her relatively short stature, she had a pair of abnormally large breasts that stuck out like a sore thumb with her skin tight bodysuit. She had made an obvious effort to try and hide them by patching together a few furs but, due to the lack of sewing materials, it was impossible to make any complex clothing.Knowing she was likely self-conscious about her bust size, Linnaeus made a point of staring directly into her lavender-colored eyes. He didn't say anything at all as, if he spoke too soon, his instincts told her that she would either run away or outright refuse his request to Party up. It was best if he got her to broach the subject herself as, while she would still have inhibitions, it made her far less likely to suddenly abandon the Party at a later date.Linnaeus was the type of person who could stay holed up inside a pipe for several days without moving so it was a given that his patience greatly exceeded the purple-haired girl's. After nearly twenty minutes of awkward silence, she ultimately broke eye contact with him before asking in a demure tone that barely reached his ears, "Why...why are you here...?"While it was undoubtedly a scummy thing to do, Linnaeus continued to stare at the girl with an unwavering gaze as he stated, "I was worried about you..." He could tell from her body language that, despite her clear apprehension, this was very close to the answer she wanted to hear from him when she asked her question.In response to his words, the girl lowered her face to obscure how flushed her cheeks were but, due to his seated position, Linnaeus had been able to see it relatively clearly. He had no intention to treat the girl poorly and exploit her vulnerabilities to cause harm so, while it made him feel like a piece of scum, Linnaeus was, for the first time, taking advantage of his gentle and disarming looks, combined with his high Charisma and [Charm] Skill.After another long period of silence, the girl made momentary eye contact with him again before immediately turning away and murmuring, "My name is Eliza...who...I mean, what is your name...?"At this point, Linnaeus was tempted to put on a false smile but, as his instincts told him she would be able to see through this, he kept a relatively plain expression as he answered, "My friends call me Lin. My actual name is Linnaeus Finnian."Though it might have been more prudent to pay her a few compliments, such as remarking about the beauty of her name, Linnaeus didn't want to trigger Eliza's trauma by coming off as too fake. He didn't have the confidence to mislead and manipulate a woman and, knowing some of them had a scary amount of intuition, his primary focus was just to cement the idea in her mind that he didn't mean her any harm.What Linnaeus had done was to set a bit of 'bait' out for her, giving Eliza the opportunity to either distance herself or ingratiate herself to him by providing two ways in which she could address him. Much to his relief, she seemed to muster up a great deal of courage by balling her hands into fists before turning her gaze to match his as she said, "It is nice to meet you...Lin."

Following their introductions, Linnaeus and Eliza talked a bit about their circumstances. He didn't ask her any personal questions but, perhaps needing someone to talk to, Eliza herself broached the subject.According to the demure girl, she had actually made it all the way to the 13th Floor, surprising Linnaeus quite a bit since she didn't seem especially powerful. As for how she ended up in the Crucible of Souls, even she wasn't entirely sure what had happened.The last thing Eliza remembered was participating in a group challenge when, out of nowhere, a column of light had enveloped her body. She wasn't quite sure, but she recalled feeling intense pain for a brief moment before finding herself crashing hard into the craggy black ground of the Crucible of Souls. Then, much like him, she encountered another person almost immediately but, unlike Linnaeus' case, they were able to work together for a few hours before lamenting their fate on the Eighth Floor.Since she hadn't formed a Party with the other person, they had been separated after the transfer to the Seventh Floor so she had been doing her best to survive. Though her Blessing allowed her to defeat most monsters without much difficulty, she had been very stressed out knowing that she had already died. This had prevented her from sleeping well and, as the days passed, things had only been getting worse for her.When Linnaeus was listening to her recounting of events, he had the impression she was trying to make him pity and feel bad for her. She seemed to be the type of person that was very reliant on others and, though she was actually very strong, had almost no confidence in herself. According to her own accounting, the only reason she had been able to reach the 13th Floor is because the leader of their Party had been trying to make her his woman.Linnaeus felt like she was trying to seed this idea into his mind but, while he didn't have any issues Partying with her, he wasn't intending to pamper and pander to her. She was obviously very used to being taken care of, drastically increasing the chances she might betray him in the future if it meant she would have an easier time.Despite realizing this, Linnaeus still intended to team up with Eliza as, unless she began scheming behind his back, she wasn't particularly dangerous. He grew up in an environment where people lived by exploiting and backstabbing others so her behavior wasn't even surprising to him. She was also a very sheltered person so, unless it was initiated by a third party, her nature prevented her from taking the initiative to betray him.During her recounting of events, Eliza had sat down next to Linnaeus. She had been hugging her knees throughout the entire conversation and, by the end of it, lowered her head so that he was unable to see the tears in her eyes.Though he had the distinct impression she was trying to trick him, there was something off about the way Eliza was acting. Thus, after measuring her behavior for a few tense seconds, Linnaeus decided to take a small gamble by gently placing his hand on her shoulder.In response to the unexpected touch, Eliza's body tensed up but, when she looked at Linnaeus through her dense bangs, she noticed he was looking away from her. This brought a small smile to her face and, after turning her own face to wipe away her tears, she asked, "How did you end up here, Lin...?"Since he didn't want to go into too many details, Linnaeus put on a dejected look as he released a tired sigh and answered, "I froze to death on the Third Floor...I wanted to be the last one to leave but only made it down to the final five people....hahaha..."The first part of Linnaeus' statement had surprised Eliza quite a bit, as it was rather pathetic to have died on the Third Floor. However, when she heard his remark about being one of the few remaining people to leave, she was, admittedly, a little taken aback. She had only spent six days on the Third Floor but, after hearing stories from those who had stayed much longer, Eliza knew it was not easy to be one of the final few people.With her curiosity getting the better of her, Eliza bit her bottom lip for a few seconds to build her courage before asking in a demure tone, "Can...can I ask what your Blessing is...?" Then, as if to allay any concerns he might have, Eliza added, "Mine is called [Gravity Rule]. I have the power to reduce the weight of anything I touch. If I bring my palms together, I can create a field that can crush almost anything...if I have enough SP..."For a brief moment, it looked like Eliza was going to show him how her power worked but, just as she was about to bring her palms together, she quickly separated them in a fluster. This was due to the fact that, when he saw what she was doing, Linnaeus' body began to react defensively as, if she had decided to target him, the fight would have immediately been over before it began.After breathing a sigh of relief, Linnaeus adopted a wry smile as he pats his chest and said, "Sorry, but you should know better than most how scary Gravity can be. To answer your question...well, I have the [Barrier Master] Blessing. I can create nearly indestructible barriers on myself and other people, so long as I have enough SP to maintain them. I can also create anchored barriers in thin air, which can serve as platforms. Using the same spell, I can create dynamic barriers in the shape of various weapons and armor to aid me in battle..."Even before Linnaeus had finished his explanation, Eliza already understood why he had been able to survive for so long on the Third Floor. She had already met another [Barrier Master] and, though they didn't seem to be able to create weapons and armor, their [Barrier Aura] skill had been an enviable ability. During the Tournament that took place on the 9th Floor, a man with the [Barrier Master] Blessing had taken fifth place in the overall rankings.Since the unique ability had left quite the impression on her, Eliza adopted a sincere smile on her face as she whispered, "That is a very useful Blessing...if you found a proper Party, you would be able to pass the 10th Floor without any difficulty..."Linnaeus was a little taken aback by Eliza's sudden sincerity, causing him to feel an incongruous feeling in the back of his mind as he averted his eyes from her kind gaze. When he turned away, he could hear her giggle, exacerbating the incongruous emotions he was experiencing.Before he could lose the tempo of conversation, Linnaeus decided to use Eliza's words against her, asking, "Do you want to Party with me, Eliza? I would like to learn more about the higher Floors from you and, though I may not be the most powerful ally, I'm good at surviving..."By the time Linnaeus had finished speaking, his words were barely a murmur as, considering where they were, talking about his survival skills didn't seem all that convincing. Eliza had picked up on this fact as well, causing her to giggle at his expense while covering her mouth in a cutesy manner.Linnaeus coughed a few times to cover his embarrassment, something he wasn't really used to feeling. He quickly buried the peculiar emotions before firming his expression and saying, "My death on the Third Floor wasn't entirely related to my own capabilities. I had been in a Party with another person but, in order to get me killed, they abandoned me in the snow to fend for myself. If I had been given the opportunity, I would have moved on to the Fourth Floor instead of freezing to death..."Eliza's playful mood vanished entirely when she heard Linnaeus' words. She could easily imagine him curled up in a ball of furs, desperately trying to resist the cold as it sapped away his strength. Though she had indeed been trying to make him pity her, she now felt a little guilty as, based on his somber expression, it was clear that he had been far less fortunate in his Party members.Seeing the way she was looking at him, Linnaeus felt the urge to avert his eyes but, rather than look away, he just shook his head and said, "None of that really matters. Unless we can reach the top of the Crucible of Souls, we may as well be dead to the rest of the world. I still have a goal to reach so I'd like it if we could Party together. You seem like a kind and gentle girl so I'd be happy to be in the same Party as you."Though Linnaeus felt he wasn't that good at smiling, Saht had always told him it made her feel happy whenever she saw him smile. He wasn't sure if it would have any impact on Eliza but, as she almost immediately averted her eyes, Linnaeus felt it had been somewhat effective. He was less handsome than girlish but, for someone like Eliza, he managed this would make her feel more comfortable around him.Without looking back at him, Eliza pressed the tips of her index fingers together as she whispered in a voice that barely reached his ears, "I...I also want to Party...please invite me..." Having followed others, as she fundamentally lacked leadership capabilities, Eliza didn't even consider being the Party Leader if they were to actually group up.Linnaeus' smile turned more genuine when he heard Eliza's words. Then, without any hesitation, he quickly sent her the Party request before hearing a ping in his mind that indicated she had accepted.The moment Eliza joined his Party, Linnaeus was given access to a small window of sorts that allowed him to modify a few things, such as what information was available to the members and their position within the Party. There were a lot of other options as well but these were unavailable to him until they had a full group of four people.Since he wanted to ingratiate himself to Eliza and gain her trust, even if only temporarily, Linnaeus enabled the option that allowed each member of the Party to view each others' Status. This was an option that required the consent of everyone in the Party but, as she was very curious about his Status, Eliza didn't hesitate at all to accept. From Linnaeus' perspective, this showed that she was either very trusting or, as he already suspected, she was simply too used to being taken care of by other people...----------------------------------------[Status]Name: Elizabeth Illustri EvendoomTitle: Mage(+5 Int, +3 Wis, +3 Spi per Level)Race: FelbornAge: 25Gender: FemaleLevel: 41(4519/10500)Health: 3098/3098Soul Power: 7677/7677Strength: 61Constitution: 113+41.9Agility: 69Dexterity: 123+5Intelligence: 219+249.9Wisdom: 134+88.4Spirit: 101+80.8Charisma: 21+4Luck: 13+1Free Attributes: 0Skills: [Kinu Comprehension:(-)], [*Gravity Rule:LV61*], [Healthy:LV38], [Magus:LV44], [Wizard:LV29], [Arch-Wizard:LV7], [Resilient Mind:LV45], [Sage Mind:LV27], [Heroic Spirit:LV9], [Sense Danger:LV54], [Abnormal Status Resistance:LV48], [Acrobatics:LV47], [Study:LV51], [Mixing:LV51], [Iron Stomach:51], [Memory:LV34], [Drawing:LV53], [Painting:LV35], [Perception:LV33]Abilities: [Focus:LV55], [Blessing of Night:LV56]Magic: [Enhance:LV58], [Weight Manipulation:LV57], [Crush:LV60]----------------------------------------(A/N: It was at this moment, Linnaeus knew, he fucked up. (UwU). Also, AUX chapter updated with new Skills/Abilities/Magic~!)

Though he could take as much time as he liked, Linnaeus knew he couldn't spend too much time within the Crucible of Souls. After all, unless she died, Saht would undoubtedly be waiting for him on the first Floor where people could congregate. Even if she had to wait for several years, Linnaeus was confident she would continue to wait, refusing to believe he had died.Saht had trouble expressing herself but, even if she had never said it, Linnaeus liked to think that she loved him. They already made plans to stay together for the rest of their lives so, while it may not be the wisest decision, he was determined not to keep her waiting for too long.Despite this sense of urgency, however, Linnaeus wasn't foolish enough to walk about the Seventh Floor with impunity.After five days of venturing, he had learned that the Floor was divided into several territorial regions, each ruled by a 'king' or a small group of powerful monsters. Each of these was strong enough to kill him in an instant but, so long as he kept to the outskirts, it was possible to hunt weaker monsters without having to worry.By exercising caution, Linnaeus had been able to identify a total of thirteen king-class monsters, each belonging to a completely different race. He also learned that, when monsters killed each other, their bodies would not break down into ash. When he tried to scavenge the corpse of another monster's prey, however, it immediately lost its color before fading away. It didn't even leave behind a single drop item, indicating that he couldn't just take advantage of another monster's prey.Fortunately, by sticking to the outskirts of known territories, he had been able to hunt without any real difficulties. He had even managed to make a home for himself after killing a fox-like monster that had three small horns on its head. It had dug a den for itself between two large boulders and, though it was a little cramped in some areas, there were multiple entrances and exits that he could make use of in an emergency.With food, water, and shelter secured, Linnaeus spent most of his day drawing a rough map of the area and approximating the territories of surrounding kings. Throughout this process, he had seen several other people hunting but, after following one relatively weak-looking individual to a small hovel, he figured they were just as new to the Seventh Floor as he was.Since he had yet to establish himself and get a proper understanding of the surroundings, Linnaeus wasn't trying to Party up with anyone just yet. He didn't want to be responsible for another person and, after his experience with Ryuuna, he wasn't in a hurry to Party up with another woman.After observing the girl for several hours, confirming that she was indeed new to the Floor, Linnaeus returned to his own territory to rest and make plans. She actually had a very useful Blessing, allowing her to create and manipulate water, but he had already found a small stream around two kilometers from his den. Thus, for the time being, he left her to his own devices while spending his days hunting and training his Skills, Abilities, and Magic.Linnaeus quickly learned that killing monsters on the Seventh Floor awarded no experience toward his base Level but, as his attributes could be increased through training, he wasn't deterred. Instead, he was even more motivated than before since he could focus on strengthening his foundation. It was almost like the Crucible of Souls was made for this purpose, preventing people from arbitrarily increasing their Level and forcing them to instead put in more effort to refine what they already had.In order to take advantage of this fact, Linnaeus woke up long before the veil of the night gave way to the dawn of a new day. During these few hours, he would stretch his body before performing an exercise routine consisting of ten sets of 100 pushups, 100 crunches, 100 flex kicks, and 100 squats. He would rest between each set, allowing his body to regenerate his damaged muscles and stamina before moving on to the next set. After this, he would spend an hour checking the surrounding area, documenting any changes that might have occurred since the previous day.Until he had patrolled the area, Linnaeus would avoid combat with any monsters, even if they were much weaker than him. He didn't want to be caught off guard trying to procure food and resources when he already had ample supplies stocked up in his Inventory and den.After investigating any anomalies within the surrounding area, Linnaeus would then hunt between the borders of three different Kings. This was an area dominated by an eight-meter tall silver ape, a 20m long snake, and a family of lion-like monsters with pale white fur and dark blue manes. They were all very violent creatures but, as their borders all overlapped with more powerful creatures, he could hunt within the boundaries of their territories without having to worry about them venturing inward.This time around, Linnaeus was skulking through the forest without making a single sound as he crept up on a medium-sized monster that looked like a combination between a bear and a rabbit. It had light brown fur with a pock-marked pattern of dark brown spots on its back. What stood out the most was its large claws and, for the complete opposite reason, its rather docile-looing face.Linnaeus had been stalking the bear-rabbit for nearly twenty minutes as, while it didn't give off the same feeling as more powerful monsters, he wanted to increase his proficiency in, [Assassination], [Stealth], and [Presence Concealment]. They were his core techniques and, though he wanted to become strong enough to fight people head-on, there was no reason to simply abandon his existing skillset.After finding a relatively private area, the bear-rabbit sniffed around the area before hunching its body over and relieving itself. It was during this moment that Linnaeus decided to strike as, without waiting for it to fall asleep, this was the most exposed it would be...Using a series of three platforms like steps, Linnaeus leaped high into the air with two Horned Rabbit daggers in hand. The monster was completely unsuspecting as, not only had he been downwind, but his solidified [Barrier Aura] concealed his scent.Due to the difference in their size, Linnaeus landed on the back of the bear-rabbit, stabbing both of his daggers towards the sides of its neck. It felt like he was trying to stab through several durable pieces of leather but, with his surprise attacks dealing triple damage and causing Severe Bleeding, it was enough.With two daggers sticking in its neck, the bear-rabbit released a loud howl of pain as it swept its arm backward to try and cut him to ribbons with its razor-sharp claws. Linnaeus had already expected this, however, so he placed a barrier in the path of its joint while using the leverage provided by his daggers to stay on its back.After stopping its attack, Linnaeus pulled another dagger out of his Inventory and began stabbing it near the base of the monster's skull over and over. Without the benefit of a surprise attack, each stab only penetrated a few centimeters but, as he was doing persistent damage, it didn't matter.Once it managed to recover, the bear-rabbit did something Linnaeus hadn't expected as he had yet to see how it fought. It had a thick layer of fur so he was unable to see the powerful muscles in its legs. As a result, he was considerably surprised when the bear-rabbit suddenly leaped more than ten meters into the air as it attempted to crush him with its body weight.Though it likely wouldn't kill him, Linnaeus wasn't in the mood to see how well his [Barrier Aura] held up against the full-body slam of a monster. He quickly kicked away from its body before erecting a sloped barrier between them, diverting the monster's fall to the side as he dropped down.Due to the desperate nature of its attack, the bear-rabbit took a significant amount of damage from its own fall. It crashed hard into the ground before rolling to the side, a pitiful grown escaping its throat as it stared hatefully back at Linnaeus.For a brief moment, boy and monster glared at each other with murderous intent but, instead of colliding climactically, the former quickly spun on his heels before vanishing into the surrounding brush. He had already put the monster into a critical state so, with the Severe Bleeding status, it was only a matter of time until it fell.In response to its hated enemy fleeing, the bear-rabbit released a groaning roar as it made one final attempt to give chase. Unfortunately, it only made it a few steps before its legs smashed into a thin blue membrane, effectively tripping it to the ground. When it tried to stand up, another membrane kept it held down, preventing it from lifting its weakened body as a pair of ruby-red eyes stared at it from the darkness of a distant tree.After a few minutes of struggling, the bear-rabbit finally bled out, alerting Linnaeus to its identity via system notification. It ended up having the classification Lesser Ursiculus and, just like every other monster he killed, it awarded no experience towards his base Level. Instead, he got a few dozen in his [Assassination] Skill, bringing him ever closer to LV43 and the LV50 threshold.Once the monster had dissolved into ash, Linnaeus quickly looted the large red gemstone, earning an additional 59 Soul Kindling. This brought his total to 1391, indicating he had earned a total of 853 over the last six days. Since the majority of monsters within his means to hunt awarded between 30 and 50 Soul Kindling, he was earning between 160 and 200 each day.Linnaeus didn't know if he was making good progress but, until he had killed a total of one-hundred monsters and hunted down a King, he was determined to stay on the Seventh Floor. His reasoning told him that greater dangers were present on higher floors so, if he couldn't even take down one of the weaker Kings, proceeding further was the same as inviting death upon himself.So long as it wasn't hunted by another person, Linnaeus had already decided on which King he was going to hunt. It was a dragon-type monster located about six-hours due east of his den. Though he couldn't be certain, it gave him a similar feeling to the first monster he had encountered. Thus, with the latter already having died to the blue-haired spearman, it was the next best alternative.He would adjust his plans as needed but, for the time being, Linnaeus had given himself a month to hunt down one of the Kings. On average, he would kill around three monsters per day so he would be nearing his goal of 100 monsters around the same time. If the King ultimately proved too much for him, he would do his best to retreat to safety before trying to gain access to the Sixth Floor.After looting a large pelt, easily big enough to create a mantle from, Linnaeus retreated back toward his den. Before entering inside, however, he patrolled the surrounding area for over an hour to make sure there weren't any people nearby eyeing his domicile. He would never return straight home as there was always a chance someone could track him back, just like he had followed the unsuspecting water-girl previously.It was only after he was confident there were abnormalities that Linnaeus created a solidified [Barrier Aura] so that he could completely mask his scent. Then, while closely observing his surroundings, he very slowly backtracked until reaching one of his den's entrances. It was kept hidden by a large bush that could be moved aside to reveal a hole just barely large enough for his small frame.Despite entering his own home, Linnaeus was still very cautious as, while he was away, there was a chance someone else could have taken up residence inside. He made sure to check each entrance and exit for signs of entry. Since he had placed small stones near the mouth of the holes, he could be relatively certain no visitors had arrived.Once he had confirmed his den was secure, Linnaeus breathed a sigh of relief before plopping down on a large pile of animal hide. He was slowly building up a stockpile of fur in order to produce a set of makeshift clothing. Though he lacked the [Tanner], [Crafting], and [Tailor] Blessings, he could still develop a weaker version of the Skill. Since there were no guarantees he would be able to purchase equipment and supplies in the future, he felt it wasn't a bad idea to learn how to make his own...

Chapter 37: Machinations